Fortified infant juice products have included Vitamin C, but have not included minerals, and, in particular, have not contained iron, zinc, calcium or combinations thereof. Heretofore, vitamin and mineral fortified nutritional products for infants have been limited to baby cereals. Although fortified baby cereal products are probably of some benefit, in most cases they are not likely to provide adequate amounts of Vitamin C and certain minerals on a sufficiently regular basis. It is generally well recognized that many vitamins and minerals can only provide a beneficial effect if taken regularly (i.e., at least on a daily basis), because of the body's tendency to rapidly deplete and eliminate such nutrients. In general, infants are not fed baby cereals on a sufficiently regular basis to provide adequate amounts of Vitamin C and certain minerals to achieve a desired beneficial effect. Accordingly, there is a need for a Vitamin C and/or mineral fortified nutritional product which can be fed to an infant on at least a daily basis.
A further disadvantage of relying on baby cereals to provide adequate amounts of Vitamin C and certain minerals is that the baby cereals typically contain a variety of vitamins and minerals which are not necessarily needed or beneficial to infants of all ages.